Fowlmere

An hour mid-morning: Cetti's Warbler (heard), one, maybe two Siskins, and a Snipe.

Fowlmere

Nice sky; few birds. Snipe, Teal x 8. Cetti’s Warbler and two Tawny Owls heard.

Fowlmere

Two Cetti’s Warblers heard this evening. That’s it.

Fowlmere

Very brief visit to the hide at dusk were there were just a couple of Teal on the mere. A few hundred Starlings put in a nice display though.

Fowlmere & Amwell

Spent the morning at Fowlmere in the sun. Best sighting was of about thirty House Sparrows near the farm. Also seen were two Snipe and six Teal. A butterfly was also noted (almost certainly Red Admiral) and a Common Darter. Fowlmere is looking good after the recent work. Just need some birds!

Mid-afternoon I went to Amwell and stayed until dusk. Very quiet, best I could find were three Little Egrets and an adult Yellow-legged Gull.

Fowlmere

Just nine Teal this evening in very windy conditions.

Cornwall (Day 2)

Walked the coastal path west out of Mousehole before the others were awake. Some good habitat but no birds. Possible Firecrest heard but not seen and I’m not confident enough to separate them on call.

After breakfast and a walk around Mousehole we all went to Porthcurno and parked at the Manick Theatre from where we walked down to St. Levan. No birders present and not many bird: A Chiffchaff, a Peregrine, and two Swallows (like yesterday, heading towards the sea.)

 

We then drove around to Porthgwara and, after whilst the others had a coffee, I worked the bushes: Just a Chiffchaff heard and a Peregrine over. We then all went for a walk around the coastal path and then inland towards the towards the scrubby area. Not a lot. A couple more Rock Pipits and then a nice view of a Merlin.

A rather birdless weekend, but enjoyable all the same.

Cornwall (Day 1)

A weekend at Land’s End with the family. Drove down the previous afternoon, staying here. Dropped Michelle and Sam at Penzance so they could get a bus to St. Ives, and at St. Levan with Tom at about 8am for the very elusive Scarlet Tanager. No sign! One turned up on Scilly whilst we were waiting. We contemplated going over but could not get a flight anyway. Gave up about midday and went for a walk in nearby fields before taking the coastal path to Porthgwara. Not a lot of birds, just two or three Peregrines,a Swallow, a Red Admiral, and four Peacocks. Still, good fun trying and did have a nice pastie from the small shop!

The walk back produced little, apart from a Raven, and so after a cursory check at St. Levan (where just about everyone else had left), we headed for Nanquidno. Quite a few birders were there (fellow dippers) but no birds! Just a whole load of Red Admirals (well, eight). Did take quite a nice photo of a Pied Wagtail whist there…

So on to the Cot Valley and more birders, and more Red Admirals, and just a Chiffchaff and a couple of Rock Pipits.

So on to Kenidjack. More Red Admirals despite it getting late and cold, and nearly the find of the day: A Yellow-browed Warbler heard but unfortunately not seen despite searching (it was later found by someone else.) Oh well. Collected Michelle from Penzance and on to the Ship Inn at Mousehole.

Fowlmere

A stroll around in sunny but windy conditions last thing. Just a Redpoll really, and a picture of a Wood Pigeon in silhouette that I quite like.

Fowlmere

Just a couple of Snipe in a strong westerly wind.

Local failures!

Fowlmere, Therfield Heath, and Shepreth L-moor. Not much, several Red Admirals everywhere, and at Fowlmere, a Barn Owl roosting, a Snipe, and a Cetti’s Warbler heard.

Dips and failures

Started pre-dawn at Warham for the (as expected) departed Rufous-tailed Robin. Walked the track for an hour or so, before it became obvious that it had gone so decided to walk towards Stiffkey to see if I could find any migrants. Apart from a couple of Crossbills off the sea, a Chiffchaff, and some Red Admirals, I didn’t. It was a beautiful dawn however, made all the better by the sight and sound of Brent Geese and Pink-footed Geese and the occasional Marsh Harrier.

By the time I had returned, it was apparent that everyone had given up and headed to Holme for a Red-flanked Blue-tail that had been found. I decided however to go the other way to Stiffkey Fen where a Bluethroat was present. Except it wasn’t, not for me at least. I did manage a couple of Curlew Sandpipers but also failed to find a Yellow-browed that had been present. More Brent Geese, Pink-feet, Marsh Harriers, and Red Admirals were about all I could manage in a couple of hours.

So I retired to the Victoria at Holkham for a pint and some food (hadn’t eaten and been up since 4:30am) as well as to plan my next move. Decided I’d had enough of twitches and as there were loads of Yellow-broweds being reported, thought I’d go and find my own in Holkham Pines. I didn’t; just Goldcrests, Chiffchaffs, Redpolls, and more Red Admirals.

So, feeling rather tired and dejected I abandoned Norfolk and headed for home to watch the football.

Fowlmere

A bat (Pipistrelle sp.?) was about as exciting as it got!

Knot at Amwell

Took a bit of searching and assumed I’d dipped, but after everyone else on site had left, I found the Knot at dusk on the same spot where it had apparently been yesterday. Heard it call first, and as I’d checked just about every spot I could could, so I assume it had just flown in. A juvenile apparently but appeared to an adult winter to my eyes, though light was poor.

Also a Common Sandpiper a “textbook” adult Yellow-legged Gull (probably male by large size) and a heard-only Cetti’s Warbler.

Fowlmere

Quiet evening visit…

Corn Buntings x c.30
Pied Wagtail x 7 drinking on mere
Cetti’s Warbler (heard)
Migrant Hakwer

Amwell, Fowlmere, and around

Drove to Amwell late morning with the family. A dozen Redwings were seen in Fowlmere village along the way; the first of the winter. Amwell was very quiet. So quiet that I counted the large number of Coots: 377. A 1S/2w Yellow-legged Gull provided pretty much the only interest. A Cetti’s Warbler was heard and a single Buzzard noted, as well as a Migrant Hawker and four Common Darters.

Shepreth L-moor late afternoon held nothing of note, so on to Fowlmere which wasn’t a whole lot mote exciting. A Cetti’s Warbler was heard and a flyover Redwing was about it, though a late Bat sp. was seen whilst I was leaving at dusk.

In the evening, two Foxes were seen, one along Fowlmere Road, and one in the village, the first I’ve seen actually in the village since moving.

Titchwell

Norfolk with the family during the heatwave (nearly 30ºC). Went to Titchwell for a couple of hours before lunch and recorded the following…

Egyption Goose x 30
Barnacle Goose x 4
Little Stint x 2
Knot – adult winter
Black-tailed Godwit x c.20
Peregrine
Pintail x c.20
Wigeon x c.20
Ruff x c.100
Bearded Tit – male
Cetti’s Warbler – several heard
Small Copper

At Holkham later it seemed most odd to see and hear Pink-footed Geese whilst in shorts and T-shirt and paddling in the sea!